Leaving
by Dotsx1294
Summary: What happens when it's time for James to leave?
1. Chapter 1

James?" Lauren asked softly as she looked up at the starlit sky above her.

"Huh?" He replied, his voice matching the softness of hers.

"Do you really have to go?"

He gave a gentle laugh and glanced sideways at her. They were lying out on the roof of their home at Cherub campus staring up at the purplish black nighttime sky blanketed with twinkling stars. There was supposed to be a meteor shower that night and it was also James's last night home before he left to study abroad in LA. Though meteor showers weren't exactly Lauren's idea of a great time, she wanted to be with him one last time before she lost him forever.

"Yeah," James replied, "I have to go."

They rested in silence for a moment admiring the sky. James was content with the idea of watching the shower from the terrace, but it was Lauren's idea to climb up on the roof. He had been surprised that she wanted to join him at all, but he welcomed the company. They had been getting along better as of late. The snide comments and harsh jokes at each other's expense came to a steady decline and you could actually tell that they were going to miss one another.

Their rooftop theater really was the perfect location to watch the universe's light show, except for the comments of their nosey neighbors showing up every ten minutes.

"You kids shouldn't be up on the roof like that! You're gonna fall and break your necks!" Came a shout from above.

"That's it," Lauren complained as she sat up. She watched as the bothersome red shirt carer left them to go to her room. She leaned over James and pushed at his side to give him more room. The scent of her lavender shampoo wafted up at him and he inhaled deeply. It reminded him of whenever she left the bathroom after her morning shower. God, he was going to miss that smell. Even though the amount of time she spent in the shower, and the fact that most of the hot water was gone by the time he got in, usually pissed him off, he always loved the way the bathroom felt after she left it. The hot mist hanging in the air smelling like her shampoo. He would stand in the center of the room breathing it in until he knew he was spreading his time limit too thin. James watched as Lauren and settled back down on the red blanket they shared.

"There, now we're all alone," she said and gave him a smile.

"You know, a month ago I wouldn't have admitted this," James began, "but I can completely see why you're the better agent." He looked over at her and returned her smile. He didn't even know you could come up to the roof. James knew at that moment that no one beat Lauren when it came to that area of expertise.

"It's nothing," Lauren replied and gave a shrug. James couldn't be positive, but in the evening din he thought he saw a blush creep up her neck and kiss her cheeks.

"No, Lauren, it is something. And you should be proud of yourself," he said and turned to rest on his side to look at her. He propped his head up by resting it in his hand, "and you deserve it." Lauren mimicked his position, turning her body to face his.

"You know, I thought you'd be mad," Lauren said after a pause, lowering her hand and resting it on top of the blanket between them. She began to idly remove tiny pieces of fuzz, "I mean, I knew you liked being top dog."

James nodded and watched the meticulous repetition of Lauren's fingers as they moved over the surface of the blanket, "yeah," he began, "but, Lauren," he placed his hand on top of hers and looked up waiting for her to meet his gaze. When she did he smiled, "I could never be mad at you for reaching your full potential. That's something I've wanted for you for a long, long time."

Lauren's eyes were wider as his fingers closed over her hand. His warmth radiated over her body and she felt her temperature rise. She had always known that there were feelings inside her that weren't exactly normal where James was concerned, but having him so close; with skin on skin contact was making that abundantly clear. Warning bells were sounding in her head and she knew that she should pull away, but the thought of him leaving the next day was playing on her conscience. If she pulled away, she might never get the chance again. Instead of breaking contact, she encouraged it by turning her hand over so they were palm to palm.

"I just know that you really liked having your time in the limelight," her voice was barely a whisper, and James leaned toward her as if to hear better.

James's heart was racing as he lay on that blanket stretched out beneath the stars with Lauren. It was exhilarating being so exposed and yet, knowing they were shielded from all eyes except their own. The smoothness of her palm was sending tiny shock waves through his skin. Every fibre of his being was telling him that wasn't a normal feeling to be having about your little sister. Still, he couldn't accept backing down when he knew that he might never be with her like this again. It was a rare opportunity and even though James wasn't normally a guy to act on impulse, his whole body was aching for spontaneity.

James released his hold on Lauren's hand and ran his fingers down the side of her face marveling at the smoothness of her creamy skin, the brightness of her eyes and the way her lips parted as his fingers came to rest just beside them. She was beautiful.

"James?" Lauren whispered, her eyes searching his face for a sign that this was really happening. When she had created the bubble she had no idea that it might lead to something like this, though she certainly wasn't wishing it to stop. Was that wrong? Was it really a horrible thing? It didn't feel horrible. It felt, sexy. Her eyes found his and what she saw there was a mix of love, guilt, and lust. She felt his fingers travel so lightly down her face that the sensation tickled, they finally came to rest beside her lips and her heart pounded. Her stomach fluttered to relieve itself of nervous energy. Was this it? The idea of this moment had played on her mind many times throughout the last couple of years, but she never thought that it would actually come to fruition. James was always so perfect, so right about everything. He never made a mistake. He never did anything he didn't want to or what he thought was wrong. So, if he was doing this … then it must not be that wrong. Right?

James was oblivious to the thoughts roving in Lauren's mind, all he could tell was that she hadn't moved away from his touch. She didn't pull back and scream at him. She didn't call him a freak or a pervert. In fact, the look in her eyes was almost pleading. Did she want this as much as he did? That question caused his heart to leap into his throat. Lauren was impulsive and impetuous, but she never ran headfirst into anything she didn't believe in. If she was willing to take this jump with him then her heart must be in it. He heard her whisper his name and he had never heard that tone in her voice before. A little scared with the faint hint of cautious excitement swirling beneath the surface. It was then that James knew he could never carry on with his life without knowing how she tasted. His fingers moved against her face, feeling the softness of her skin as his hand cupped her cheek, his thumb lightly tracing over her lower lip. Her eyes closed for a brief moment and James took that as the only invitation he needed. His hand fisted lightly into her hair and pulled her close without hesitation. His mouth was on hers, all passion and need. He felt her melt to his will.

The feel of James's lips on hers was electrifying. Lauren had never felt any kiss like it before. Her lips felt numb, but in a good way. Then they began to tingle with a sensation that made her head spin and she began to feel dizzy. Can a kiss make you feel drunk? She felt as though she was losing herself in James's touch and she couldn't hold the position of lying on her side any longer. Though reluctant, she pulled away from his lips as she allowed herself to roll onto her back. She reached up to James and this time it was she who pulled him down to her. He switched his position so that he was leaning over her, supporting his weight with his hands. Their lips pulled at each other, their teeth nipped and tongues caressed. Lauren laced her fingers into his dark hair and pulled his face toward her each time she felt as though he was pulling away. She didn't want this to end. She would do anything to keep him here in this moment. In their own world.

James pulled away from Lauren, turning his head slightly to untangle her fingers from his hair. His breathing was labored and he felt as though he had been running a marathon. A very exciting, marathon. He knew that the proof of his excitement was painfully obvious, yet Lauren didn't seem to notice. She lay beneath him, her hair surrounding her like a dark pillow against the red blanket. Her cheeks flushed, her eyelids closed ever so slightly giving her the look as though she were waking from a wonderful dream. The pink gloss of her lips was long gone, smudged off from kissing, instead her lips were a deeper pink and puffy from the friction. James had never seen a more beautiful sight.

"James," Lauren said softly, her eyes looking up at him now with a sultry expression, "don't stop touching me."

Though the words were shocking, they weren't unwelcome, but he needed to know if it was truly okay.

"Are you sure?" He asked as he lowered himself until he was lying beside her on the blanket, close enough so their bodies were touching.

"Very sure," she replied. Lauren sat up then and pulled off her tank top. She set it aside, careful not to toss it outside of their protective bubble. James looked up and admired her back. Her skin was unblemished and perfect, so smooth and delicate. He watched as her hands came around to unhook her powder blue bra, but his hand shot up and stopped her as he sat up.

"James, it's okay ... I want to," Lauren said, turning her head a little to look back at him.

"It's not that," he replied as he lowered his lips to her shoulder and placed a kiss against her hot skin, "I want to undo it."

"Oh," Lauren blushed, but removed her hand from the hook of her bra and patiently waited for James. He positioned himself behind her with his legs on either side of her body as she sat and he rested his hands against her skin. He wanted to feel all of her. Slowly and gently he began rubbing her shoulders every so often running his hand up and down the softness of her slender neck.

"God, that feels so good," Lauren said her eyes closing as his hands worked her shoulders. She had never felt more at ease. James pushed the straps of her bra off her shoulders and she allowed them to fall against her arms. He kissed the places where the straps had been and leaned his head on her shoulder as she felt the back of his hand gently caressing her back. Lauren turned her face so that she was looking at him with his head resting on her shoulder. She was about to speak when she felt the hook of her bra give way. She watched as he smirked and lowered his lips to her shoulder again. His hands pushed the fabric of her bra away from her body and all she did was lift her arms slightly to allow the movement. Then she felt his hands reach around and cup her breasts. She couldn't help herself, she moaned when she felt his touch.

James continued kissing her neck and sucking gently at the tender flesh. He felt her head fall to the side as he squeezed and massaged her. He felt her nipples harden at his touch and his cock twitched and strained against his jeans. His face was resting against her neck now, his breath hot against her skin. He released his hold on her breasts in the interest of running his fingers lightly over their rock hard tips. Lauren fell back against his chest and he wrapped his left arm around her waist and pulled her close. His head was now lifted from her shoulder so that she could fully lie back against him. James leaned over and placed a kiss on her temple before noticing that her eyes were closed and her lips parted with pleasure. He ran his hand down her stomach and felt her shiver at his light touch which continued until his fingertips dipped below the top of her denim skirt.

Lauren loved the feeling of James's hands on her skin; the tingling caresses lulling her into submission. She didn't want him to ever stop. His hands trailed down her stomach and she felt her skin develop tiny goose bumps from the heightened sensitivity. She felt his fingers disappear into the top of her skirt and her eyes opened. Suddenly without warning the spark that was flickering within her burst into a bright open flame. White and hot. Her hands found the button on her skirt and she tugged it open, forced the zipper down and shimmied the fabric down her slender hips until all that was left was her white panties. They weren't the sexiest pair she owned, but she hadn't exactly been expecting a moment like this. She sat up and turned to face James who was a bit startled by the speed at which she had taken things.

Lauren stood on her knees in front of him. His mouth opened and closed like a fish on a dock and his eyes were locked on her chest. Lauren smiled and sidled closer to him. She reached down and grabbed at the bottom of his T-Shirt. She pulled it up over his head and let it rest with her discarded clothes. Though her need was growing exponentially, she wanted to lavish some attention onto his body. Lauren rested her palm against James's chest as she gently urged him to lie back. She was thrilled when he complied. Leaning over him, she kissed his mouth slowly and sensually. When she felt him start to lean up into her she pulled away and began trailing heated kisses down his bare chest. Lauren stopped briefly at each nipple, giving each one direct attention. She licked and sucked on them until she heard him groan. She worried them with her teeth before continuing her journey down his stomach. James's breathing was heavy and his body tense, he was holding back. Lauren reached the button of his jeans and as her fingers closed around it she knew that after this moment there would be no going back. She undid his jeans and tugged them down his legs, boxers and all. She took a deep breath before allowing her eyes to fall on him again.

James felt her tug his jeans and boxers off and he pushed himself up onto his elbows to see her reaction to him. He was at full attention and worried about what she might think. She stared at what he had to offer for what felt like an eternity before she gingerly reached out and ran her fingertips down his shaft. James took in a quick breath as the sensitivity of her touch was almost too much to take.

"Lauren," he groaned softly, his eyes looking down at her with fire. His head fell back as her hand closed around him and began to move with slow deliberate strokes. He squeezed his eyes shut and gripped the blanket in his fists. The pleasure was building at an alarming rate. He didn't want it to be over too quickly. He reached down and grabbed Lauren's hand to stop her movements.

"Wait," he ordered, "just… give me a minute?" James asked as he panted slightly. He needed to calm down. Lauren didn't say anything, but she removed her hand from his body. James wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. He heard her shifting her position, but was too busy calming himself to pay much attention to her actions. He raked his fingers through his hair and swallowed hard as he willed his pleasure to subside momentarily. Apparently, Lauren had other plans. His eyes shot open as he felt her straddle him.

"What are you-?" He asked shooting to his elbows again. She had removed her panties and was lowering her body to his.

"Shh," Lauren said, touching his lips lightly with her finger, "now is not for talking." With that she positioned herself over him and slid down in a painstakingly slow fashion until their bodies were flush with one another. James's groans of pleasure deepened with each inch as she lowered her body. As if in possession of their own will he found his hands reaching up to her. He rubbed her breasts as she moved above him, his fingers finding her hard nipples and pinching them lightly.

Having partaken of this action a few times in her young life, Lauren knew that she had to remain still momentarily to allow them to each get used to one another. After that moment of stillness Lauren began to alternate between circling her hips and sliding herself up and down. James's hands traveled from her breasts down to grip her hips as she rode him. He refused to close his eyes, instead he watched her beautiful face and body as she worked a different kind of magic on him. The sounds of her soft moans of pleasure were undeniably hot and James only briefly wondered whether the bubble was sound proof. Her speed began to pick up, but James tightened his grip on her hips to slow her.

"Wait," he whispered as he sat up slowly. He lifted her body from his and urged her to take his place laying down on the blanket. For once Lauren didn't object to him. She rested on her back as James positioned himself between her legs. He entered her again, but this time he lowered himself to his elbows so they could be close to one another. He kissed her mouth tenderly as he moved his body against hers. She moaned into him with each gentle thrust and wrapped her arms around his neck.

Lauren felt the pleasure in her body building as she met each of his movements with her own. She had never felt anything quite like this before. She knew now, what it felt like to truly love. Their bodies moved as one, meeting each other stroke for stroke until the explosive finale when James kissed her hard against the mouth, stifling her cry of pleasure. As their heart rates began to slow again, they rested together on the blanket beneath the stars. James lying on his back, Lauren curled up against him, her head resting on his chest. They didn't speak. They didn't have to.

Next Chapter coming soon...


	2. Chapter 2

Watching James walk away and head for his plane was almost more than Lauren could stand. The entire taxi ride back to the sub shop was filled with silence from the Cherub group while Lauren tried to brush away silent tears of her own before anyone noticed which was impossible in a cramped cab.

Lauren was glad for Bruce's sudden sneeze as she turned her tear stained face to the window and stared without seeing. If only they knew exactly how close she and James had actually grown. Their stolen night under the stars was one that Lauren would not soon forget.

The days immediately following James's departure from Cherub were the hardest. His bedroom was mostly the same, though Andy threatened almost daily to remodel it into his man cave, and Lauren had found herself stealing his mattress and pillows so that she could curl up to sleep on his bed every night instead of her own. The pillow still held his scent. If she closed her eyes and tried hard enough it almost felt like he was there with her. Many times she considered using her imagination to pop into his life in LA, but she always found herself hesitating. Would he even want to see her? This uncertainty was unchartered territory for Lauren. Her usual headstrong, act without thinking, mentality did not apply to James anymore. The floodgates that they had opened that night released more than just raw passion. They released so many unasked questions. What did it mean? Does his heart race when she enters his mind? Did he regret it? If he were any other boy Lauren would just ask him. She'd saunter up to him, place a hand on her hip, tilt her head to the side and demand to know what it all meant. But this was James. Straight laced, conservative, rules are the rules, James. Her brother. Oh God, she was in love with her brother. Most of her thoughts were occupied by the memory of his taste, his touch, his tenderness, but every so often reality struck her like a lead weight. _He was her brother._ These feelings she had were wrong. The thoughts she entertained were immoral. The act they committed was beyond sinful. Yet it still brought a smile to her face to remember the weight of him on top of her as she wrapped her legs around him and pulled him closer. Lauren spent many a night on James's bed reminiscing and romancing herself into a blissful dream filled sleep. Those were the nights that she slept the best.

Besides his initial phone call to let her know that he landed, James hadn't called for two weeks straight. Part of Lauren understood that he would be busy with school and adjusting to a foreign country, but there was still that part of her, that tiny nagging voice in the back of her mind, that thought he was avoiding a call home in order to avoid her.

When Lauren entered the canteen around two the huge smile on Bethany's face gave away the fact that he had finally called. Lauren's heart flip flopped in her chest. He had finally called and she missed it!

"When did he call?" Lauren asked as she stared at her mother.

"Around noon. Oh Lauren, he sounds so happy! He says his classes are fantastic and he's learning so much. He said driving on the other side of the road is hard to get used to, but he's adjusting"

"Yeah, great," she mumbled in response as she stormed up the stairs to her bedroom. She threw her backpack on the floor as she slammed her door shut. She couldn't figure out what made her more upset, the fact that he finally called and she wasn't home or that he sounded happy. She had been sleeping in his bed, nuzzling his pillow, and dreaming of his face while he was off partying and eating crap! Lauren stood in front of her mirror, rested her hands on the top of her dresser and willed herself to calm down. What was she expecting? That he would be dying to talk to her? That he would suddenly realize that he didn't want to study abroad anymore and run back to her? Her eyes were burning with threatening tears. She was stupid to think that there was something more to that night. It was stupid, just a stupid mistake. A sob escaped her throat at that thought and her hand flew to her mouth to stifle the sound. The tears escaped their prison and flowed over her cheeks in salty trails. She angrily wiped at them with the back of her hand when a knocked sounded on her door.

"Go away," she said in what she hoped was a normal voice. Instead of leaving, Bethany opened the door and peered inside.

"Lauren?" She asked, the concern etched on her face, "what's wrong?"

"Nothing," Lauren replied and turned away from her friend.

"Those aren't nothing tears."

"I'm fine."

"Is it because James called?" Bethany asked as she shut the door behind her. Lauren looked at her best friend and nodded as her face crumbled into a fresh set of tears.

"Oh honey," Bethany said as she embraced her friend, "I'm sorry you weren't here when he called. It has to be hard to have your brother living so far away."

Lauren nodded and sniffed loudly in Bethany's ear. Pulling away Bethany pulled out a tissue from her pocket and handed it to Lauren.

Her mouth turned down into a slight frown when she looked at Lauren's face. Lauren wiped at her cheeks and blew her nose. Bethany's heart was in the right place, but she seriously had no idea how this felt and it had nothing to do with sibling relationships.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Her friend asked running her hands up and down Lauren's arms. Lauren took a deep breath and gave a shaky smile.

"No, I'll be fine. I just need some time I guess and maybe a nap." Lauren was suddenly exhausted. She had been holding these feelings inside for so long that their release took more out of her than she was expecting.

"Okay, well you nap and I'll do our math homework," Bethany smiled as she grabbed Lauren's backpack off the floor. Lauren laughed. She had jokingly suggested that Bethany do her math homework (okay, half jokingly) but she didn't expect her friend to actually do it. She wasn't about to argue with her though. As soon as the door closed behind Bethany, Lauren collapsed onto her bed and fell into a restless sleep still filled with James's face, but this time he was laughing at her.

When Lauren woke up it was well past dinner and she was starving. She sat up, rubbed her eyes and smoothed her hair. She felt like she had been hit by a truck. Sleeping on raw emotion was highly uncomfortable. Once her eyes cleared she noticed a piece of paper resting on her nightstand. She reached for it and read it over twice to make sure that she had it right.

_James left his number and wants you to call him. Remember that he's 5 hours ahead of us now, so don't call him too late! Beth_

Lauren couldn't believe that he actually wanted her to call him. She checked her clock and saw that it was almost six. If she hurried she could grab a sandwich and call him. If her stomach wasn't trying to eat itself she would have ignored food all together, but the growling was growing louder. She ran down the stairs, made a quick peanut butter and jelly and devoured it in record time. Lauren took a couple minutes to fix her face, the smeared mascara was not pretty and even though she was just talking to him, she wanted to look pretty. She took a deep breath before she dialed and held it as the phone rang. By the fifth ring Lauren was ready to hang up, but that was when someone answered.

"Hello?"

Lauren's heart stopped in her chest. It wasn't James who answered. In fact it wasn't even male.

"Hello?" Repeated the soft, very feminine voice – she instantly felt like she knew it.

Lauren didn't know what to think or to say. She glanced at her clock again and did some quick math. If it was six in New York that made it around eleven in LA. What was a girl doing in his room that late? Of course Lauren _knew_ what a girl would be doing in a boy's room that late, but she didn't want to believe it.

"Hello?" The girl asked again, a little more familiar edge in her tone.

"James?" Lauren finally squeaked.

"He's a bit busy at the moment, can I take a message?" The girl asked. Wasn't she just so helpful? She couldn't even respond, she just hung up the phone. Her heart, having remembered to beat, went into overdrive. Her mind filled with visions of James and some Emma Watson look-a-like rolling around on his bed, laughing, kissing, groping. This was worse than not hearing from him, like a million times worse. She lurched to her feet and raced down the hall to suddenly reject the sandwich she had just devoured.

Meanwhile…

James returned to his dorm room having just excused himself to use the bathroom and saw his small study group looking confused as Kerry hung up his phone.

"Did I miss something?" He asked as he shut the door behind him.

"Someone phoned you, but I'm guessing by the look on Kerry's face that they were exceptionally rude?" A boy named Lawson replied.

"Not rude so much as abrupt," Kerry corrected, "all she said was your name, James, and then she hung up on me when I asked if I could take a message." James's heart skipped a beat. Lauren. It had to have been Lauren. Oh she was probably beyond pissed. Shit. He couldn't call her back, not now. It was already so late and his group still had so much studying to do.

"It was probably my sister," He forced himself to say, for some reason saying that was hard, "I'll have to call her tomorrow. We have to wrap this up otherwise we are not going to be ready for Professor Beeston's exam."

"'Wrap this up'. You Brits and you're funny phrases," another guy laughed, "we're not a present." James gave a half hearted smile. He was used to being the butt of their jokes. It was all in good fun, but he just couldn't bring himself to dish it out knowing that Lauren was miles and miles away and probably mad as hell. God, he missed her.

New Chapter Soon...


	3. Chapter 3

**BTW in this story Lauren doesn't know Kerry**

**James** was in unfamiliar territory. Not just because he was in a different country, that part he could handle, but college, on the other hand, was a lot different from Campus. Back there he had nearly been top of his class, but college was a completely different story. The work was harder, the professors were tougher, and the socializing was way more fun. He didn't realize how good he had it in back home. He could study for a couple hours and pass with a perfect score, but now he could study his ass off and still only pull mediocre grades. Professor Beeston's exam was one of the most brutal things he had ever been through. His class notes were practically useless. Upon reading the first couple of questions it was obvious that the studying his group did wasn't enough. There was even information on the exam that James didn't remember from the reading at all! How do you make an exam with information that wasn't even covered?

It didn't help that he was completely distracted. If he wasn't out having coffee with his friends or playing video games in the common room he was thinking about Lauren. During the day he was able to distract himself, but at night while he lay in bed staring up at his ceiling she was the focus of his thoughts. He'd remember the smell of her hair or the feel of her lips. Sometimes he'd even pretend that it was her fingers on his skin instead of his own. That night on the roof came to him in his dreams. There were times when he thought that maybe it had only been a dream to begin with, but in his heart he knew better. Getting on the plane and leaving her behind was hard. He had finally tasted the forbidden fruit that he craved for years and he didn't want to leave her behind. How could one moment give him everything he had ever wanted and its memory remind him of everything he could never have. When he applied for a study abroad program it had been to get away from Lauren. The naïve part of him assumed that it was because she drove him crazy, but he knew now, after having her, after being with her, that he had applied to get away from his real feelings.

After all, it was wrong. Not just wrong, but sick and wrong. This was twisted shit. Every time that James considered going back home, giving up on his current studies and attending Berkley he had to remind himself that distancing himself from Lauren was the smarter, better thing to do for both of them. He couldn't be so close to her and not touch her. He couldn't live in the same building and not desire her. This was better. His phone calls home became less and less frequent and every time he did call he silently wished that Lauren wasn't the one of the other end of the line. So far he had been lucky. It was hard not to hear her voice, but if he wanted to ensure that he didn't screw with her life he had to avoid heading down that slippery slope. He knew that if he spoke to her he would want to be with her again and he couldn't let that happen. It was better this way. Pretend that it was just a dream.

James shifted his backpack as he approached Professor Beeston's office. The exam scores were posted that day and even though he was terrified he had to know how he did. He pushed through the crowd of students milling around the door and found his name on the list. His finger shook slightly as he trailed it from his name to his score.

"Seventy-five?" His eyes widened in shock when he realized that he had received his first ever C range grade. "Are you kidding me?"

"I know how you feel," came a voice from behind him. James whirled around and found himself face to face with Kerry.

"I don't believe this!" He exclaimed.

"It was difficult," she said as if that would ease his mind.

"I've never gotten below an A minus in my life." James followed Kerry as she began walking away from the office. She shifted the books she was holding as they walked.

"Well, there's a first time for everything," she smirked.

"But this is unacceptable," James declared, "from now on I am going to do nothing but study. I'll read until my eyes bleed."

"What you'll do is come out for a drink with me and some friends. After scores like ours we deserve to have a little fun," Kerry decided. James's eyebrows knitted together as he thought. Going out drinking sounded like the opposite of what they should be doing. They should get back to studying and figure out if Professor Beeston would allow them to retake the test. Still, Kerry's proposal was alluring. James wasn't a big drinker, well he wasn't really a drinker at all, but he knew the numbing effect that alcohol was supposed to have on the mind and giving his thoughts a break from everything, from Lauren especially, just might be exactly what he needed.

"You know what?" He asked, looking over at his companion. "You're on. Drinks, tonight."

"Fabulous!" Kerry said, giving him a brilliant smile. "I'll see you at eight."

"**Lauren**, couldn't we just go back and eat at campus?" Bethany asked as the girls walked down the shopping parade

"No, Bethany, I want a hotdog from the vendor," Lauren whined in response.

"But we've passed three vendors," Bethany said as she trudged along beside Lauren.

"I know, but I want one from the guy with the glass eye," Lauren said as they rounded the corner.

"Oh Lauren, that guy gives me the creeps," Bethany said with a little shudder, "I can never tell if he's looking at me or not."

"I'm sorry, Bethany, but he has the best relish," Lauren replied with a shrug, "Aha! I see him!" She practically shouted a she grabbed Bethany's arm and yanked her across the street toward the cart with the red and white umbrella.

"What'll it be?" The man asked.

"Yeah, hi, two dogs. Mustard, double relish," Lauren ordered and dug into her pockets for a crumpled mass of bills.

"Aw, thanks, Lauren," Bethany said looking at her best friend.

"What?" Lauren asked as she produced a wrinkled five and handed it to the man in exchange for her order, "Oh, no, these are for me. You can get whatever you want." Bethany rolled her eyes, "you know, Lauren you-"

"Adams?" She was cut off by a deep voice from behind them in line.

Both girls turned. Lauren was already devouring one hot dog.

"Rat?" She stared at him in surprise. It had been so long since she had seen him last, they had stopped hanging out.

"Wow, it's been awhile," Lauren said as she took in the sight of him. He was still gorgeous. Dark hair, dark eyes, and that sort of half grin that played on his lips. It really was a shame that they didn't work out. Kind of. Her mind flashed to James and she blushed.

"What brings you here, you rarely leave campus?" She asked Rat in hopes of chasing away her inappropriate thoughts. The last time she had seen him was in one of his dreams, when they broke up properly.

"I'm getting some clothes for a new mission coming up," he replied before ordering two hot dogs for himself.

"That explains it," Lauren said.

"And all the shopping bags," Bethany chimed in as she nibbled her food. Both Lauren and Rat gave her a look that let her know she was a third wheel.

"Right," she mumbled and walked over to a bench to have a seat.

"You look good, Adams," Rat said with a grin.

"Thanks, I'm sure under all," she paused and gestured at his current state, "that, you're looking pretty alright yourself."

"Maybe I could take you out," Rat said, "show you that I can clean up good, you know?"

Lauren froze. What did she say? It's true that she still found Rat attractive, but what about James? True he was miles and miles away and probably shacking up with some girl.

"I don't," She began, but Rat cut her off.

"Here take this," he fished into the pocket of his jeans and produced his phone, "put your name and number back in it. I've gotta go now, but you should call." With that he gave a smile, waited for Lauren to finish and headed across the street.

"Well, that was weird," Bethany said as she made her way back to Lauren.

"Yeah, pretty weird," Lauren agreed as she shoved the tissue of her hot-dog into the pocket of her jean shorts, "come on, lets head back." Together the girls began walking back in the direction they came.

"Lauren?" Bethany asked to get her friend's attention.

"Yeah?"

"You've got a little mustard on your cheek."

"Oh my God, are you kidding me?" Lauren said in shock as she wiped at her cheeks with her hands, "was that there the whole time?"

"Pretty much," Bethany replied with a smirk as she continued walking, "come on, our training exercise starts in two hours and our team will flip if we're late."

**Lauren **was late. Normally this wouldn't be headline news as she doesn't trouble herself to be on time for anything, but this is the one time that Lauren wished she had been. She stared down at the white stick and willed the little pink plus sign to go away. She closed her eyes, wished really hard and opened them again. The pink plus was still there and if anything it looked brighter. Lauren resulted to violence in hopes of changing the out come. She shook the damn stick for all she was worth.

"Come on you little bastard! Change for fuck's sake CHANGE!" She ordered. Finally she gave up. Lauren allowed her body to slide down the bathroom wall and she sat on the floor, head in her hands, pregnancy test abandoned beside her. Her view of the tiled floor was suddenly a sea of tears as the salty liquid spilled forth. This was by far the most fucked up situation she had ever been in. Not only did she have screwed up feelings for her older brother, but now she was pregnant with his child. The thought made her stomach flip and the breakfast she had earlier threatened to reappear. To make matters worse she and James hadn't even spoken to one another since he left. He rarely called and when he did, Lauren couldn't bring herself to speak to him. The conversation would only be filled with awkward small talk until he finally admitted that he found someone over in California. Then Lauren would have to tell him that she was pregnant.

No, absolutely not. She wouldn't tell him about this. She wouldn't tell anyone. In fact, she was just going to take care of it and then pretend like nothing ever happened. She was a Cherub agent. There had to be some sort of method that would take care of horrible mistakes like this. A sob escaped her as soon as the word mistake entered her mind. How did she let this happen? Just one moment changed everything. Her world was upside down and inside out. She couldn't believe how stupid she had been.

A knock startled Lauren out of her pity party and she hastily wiped away her tears with her sleeve.

"Y-yeah?" She called as she grabbed the stick off the floor and shoved it into the box.

"Are you almost done in there?" Came Bethany's reply, "I have to go!"

"Hold it!" Lauren snapped as her eyes quickly scanned the room for evidence.

"I've been holding it!" she whined. Lauren shoved the box into the front pocket of her hoodie and unlocked the door.

"Finally!" Bethany breathed as he pushed past Lauren to enter the room.

"Hey, watch it!" She scolded, her hand instinctively covering her abdomen. When she realized what she had done she quickly dropped her hand and stalked off to her bedroom as the bathroom door slammed shut.

_Ooooooooooooooh I made Lauren Pregnant. Next Chapter should be up soon. Read/Review x_


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